"You're a bastard—but thank you," Four Eyes said, straightening up. Hmm. Just drank? So things worked a little differently for her. I'd even eaten my first victims. Though, then again, our first victims hadn't been the same too. I'd started with dogs—or rather, "Cerberuses," since that's what they were called.
"Feeling better?" I snorted in response.
"Looks like it." She put the oxygen mask from her suit back in place, refusing to throw it away, even though her body couldn't possibly be harmed by anything like that. On the other hand, she could still pass for human better than I could, because I couldn't even pass for a Black guy now unless I wore a deep hood.
"Then… where do we go from here?" I sighed. This time, the passage was intact. And closed…
"Exactly where your eyes keep drifting," Yamata replied with a sly chuckle, clearly refreshed after her snack, heading toward the right wall—or more precisely, toward the panel and door there.
"What now?" I asked, following her.
Stopping beside the door's control panel, Yamata rummaged through her bag, silencing me with a brief gesture. Then she pulled out a small device—I would've called it a smartphone, but it didn't really look like one—and, extending a cable, connected it to the lock. After a couple of minutes of fiddling, the combination lock beeped and turned green, and in front of us opened… an elevator door.
Well. Down we go.
And I had already forgotten about Four Eyes's gadgets, despite Vector's memories—and even her own. Though the latter had only been skimmed, and I had focused too much on her scientific skills. My mistake. Even back when she was still human, up on the roof and preparing to sleep, she'd demonstrated me a lockpick, and in the squad she'd been responsible for opening anything that required breaking in.
We went down in a matter of minutes and emerged into a somewhat dark but fairly stylish corridor, though marked with signs of devastation. Off to the side, we found what passed for a reception desk, predictably devoid of any staff. I'd have been shocked if it weren't.
With a quick glance—again courtesy of Vector and special-forces instincts—I spotted a gun that clearly no longer needed its owner. A USP Compact: a good old model used by police and special forces, or rather its improved variant designed for suppressor use. Strange that it wasn't the corporation's standard in house model (specifically Umbrella's modification of the same old USP) used by mercenaries and Umbrella employees. But never mind. This one would do just fine, especially since the ammunition was compatible with mine. After all, the only real difference between the modifications was the increased rate of fire.
I picked it up and, just in case, kept my original pistol as well. Better to have two weapons ready for a fight than one—even if that one comes with extra magazines.
"Damn it!" Four Eyes slammed her fist down on the desk in irritation… and, not realizing her newfound strength, broke it.
"What's wrong, Miss Vandal?" I turned toward her, preparing for a fight just in case. Who knew what had set her off? Although I didn't hear anything and didn't see anyone nearby.
"The computer is dead. They smashed it to hell, those bastards! No, I understand that mercenaries and our squad were here a few days ago, and that at least one G-virus carrier and a group of zombies passed through, but I still hoped no one would've needed the computer. We, for example, fled in a hurry, and I think the other survivors did the same. And it's unlikely anyone but survivors would be interested in the electronics here. I'm sorry, but you and I are the only real anomalies—everyone else, even Birkin, wasn't exactly known for brilliance. But no, there's clearly been damage here. Most likely accidental, but still infuriating. I would like to get the information I need from here."
Four Eyes frowned deeply.
"I see," I replied calmly. I hadn't expected things to be that easy, but Yamata was unusually emotional right now. According to Vector's memories, she hadn't been like this before. At least—not to this extent.
"And don't look at me like that! I wasn't expecting to find everything I needed—just to figure out where their lab department for sample analysis is. And don't give me that look too, I'm not some kind of 'extremist scientist'!" Yamata caught my whisper instantly.
"Alright already—how long are you planning to hover around that lifeless hunk of steel?" I said, already walking farther down the corridor. Fortunately, it was short and ended in a single compartment—apart from the ascent upwards—on the left.
"Go on, go on. You can't open the door without me anyway," Yamata said, deliberately lagging behind. And she was right. The door wasn't as imposing as the earlier ones, but it was also made of steel and well reinforced. Maybe I could deal with it—but not instantly.
After a brief struggle, a large room opened up before us—half hangar, half laboratory. We found ourselves on the second level, which curved around the room from above. In places, bridges crossed the hangar, along with wide platforms, but, roughly speaking, it wasn't a full floor. About sixty percent of it was missing—not due to damage (everything here seemed to be steel, and nothing appeared broken), but simply because of the structure itself. At least, that was my unbiased opinion as a complete idiot in such matters.
But it wasn't that—or even the number of corpses in the room (real corpses, without even a hint of pseudo-life)—that caught my attention first. It wasn't the shattered tanks either, with some kind of solution that had solidified into a greenish sludge across the floor.
My gaze locked directly onto the face of a Hunter, standing one step away from me on the opposite side.
This is what you call "oops."
(End of Chapter)
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